Most residential fires originate in the kitchen as a result of negligence during cooking. Ovens and stove-top burners are often left unattended. Gas or electric stoves and ovens are found in most homes and apartments, and also in some office buildings. Many of these stoves and ovens have built-in timers that may be set by a user to give an audible alarm after a set time interval has elapsed. Such alarms remind the user to check what they are cooking on the stove or in the oven and to turn off the power to the oven or cook-top. However, a user may simply forget that the stove or oven is in use. This problem is compounded if the user has an illness such as Alzheimer's disease or other mental impairment that affects memory. Also, if a user does not hear the timer's audible alarm, then the oven or cooking surface remains on and the food may become overcooked or burnt, and a fire may start. A user may not hear the timer alarm because the user may be in a different room in the house, or because the user may be hearing-impaired, for example. Still other fires have been caused by falling asleep while cooking. In addition, unforeseen events such as electrical shorts, earthquakes, and product failures can result in accidental fires.
Additional objects of the present invention will become apparent from reading of the summary and detailed description set forth below.